all in a day's work December 14, 2024

After an amazing spirit of the season filled few days in Banff National Park, I made quick business of getting back on track once I returned to the city.  I left in spring like conditions and arrived back to the same.   Over the course of the week, ice became water and white became brown.  It's nature and no matter what, there is still beauty to behold!  This is what my "all in a day's work" looked like yet none of it was work but rather play! 

birding

I don't know if I should call it birding at this time of year when I do go out birding!  I spend more time admiring the scenery and looking for other wildlife than I do investing time in enjoying what birds there are.  They are scare these days except for the Geese and Mallards, they run in the hundreds.  The last time I was here the creek running towards the lagoon was frozen solid and covered in snow and rime ice.  It is running again offering up pretty refections.  

the coyote looked mangy

I hope this is its' "I just woke up" look! 

a took a double take when I saw this

female & male Hairy Woodpeckers

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

mooning

I made it an appoint to check for the last full moon of 2024, the Cold Moon!  With iffy sky conditions forecasted, I checked a few times over a couple of hours during the early morning also during the early evening.  

This shot was snapped on the morning of the 14th with a light layer of cloud cover and I thought this may be my full Cold Moon photo to keep.  I had hoped for a better picture.  

This was a short time later, not zoomed in and showing Jupiter beside the moon.  

This photo was captured early evening on December 14th. 

This is my official Full Cold Moon photograph.  

Throughout the afternoon and evening, I created this watercolour painting of the Full Cold Moon lighting up the sky and the Christmas Tree while snow flurries gently fall.  The snow flurries gently falling was wishful thinking!

knitting

Between waiting for layers of watercolour paint to dry, I got back to knitting my Northern Lights mittens.  I completed the first mitten and began the second.  I am so pleased with how the first mitten turned out, it looks much nicer than the first grey tweed pair I made.  I will have enough Northern Lights yarn left over, my plan is to knit a child's pair of mittens then drop them off someplace where a child's hands could use them. Using the circular needles rather than four needles makes all of the difference in the world.  I am surprised how fast they knit up.   My mind is already wandering off to thoughts of what else could I knit!